Expansible auger.



No. 732,479. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903. W. I. WHEELER & J. J. BULL.

EXPANSIBLE vAUGERl APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 14. 1903.

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EXPANSIBLE AUGER.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.. 14. 1903.

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zit/Q10 No. 732,479. PATENTED JU'NFSO, 1903. W. I. WHEELER & J. J. BULL.

EXPANSIBLE AUGER APPLICATION FILED KAR. 14. 1903.

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PATENT OEEICE.

WILLIAM I.` WHEELER ANDl JOHN J. BULL, OF SOOTTSVILLE, ILLINOIS.

EXPANSIBLE AUGER.v

sPEoIFrcATIoN forming part ofhtte'rs Patent No. 732,479, dated .Tune 3o, 1903.

l Application led March 14, 1903. Serial No. 147,797. (No model y i D To all whom it may concern..-

Beit known that we,WILLIAM LWHEELEE and JOHN J. BULL, citizens of the United States, residing at Scottsville, in the` county. of Macoupin and State of Illinois, have in-` vented certain new and useful Improvements in Expansible Angers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in expansible angers; and its object is to provide an auger which is divided into a stationary and movable portion, the latter comprisinga pair of hinged members adapted to be oppositely moved on each other to increase the diameter of a bore. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide the hinged members with guides which receive a stem and lock said members in position. Said stem when moved rocks the hinged members and increases the size of the auger.

Many other objectsl and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and be particularly pointed out in the claims. f

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention. Fig. 2 is a similar View, the diameter of the auger having beenincreased. Fig. 3 is aview at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 4isa View similar to Fig. 1, one of the hinged members being removed. Fig.

5 is a sectional view on the line X X of Fig. 1.

movable or expansible portion 4. The por tion 3 is tubular, as at 4a, and'has depending from its lower edge'a pair of ears 5, provided with trnnnions 6, the bottom edge between the ears being rounded off, as at 7. 8 indi# cates a pair of inwardly-proj ecting lugs at the lower inner edge of .the tube 4a, and they serve to guide the stem 2 when theparts are assembled. The portion 4 consists of two members 9 and 10, each being exactly alike; but when placed side by side their grooves and guides, now to be described, are disposed on opposite sides of a medial line. Each member is hollow, as at 11, and has a flat wearingsurface 12, which is cut away at 13 to receive the stem. At the bottom of the'cnt-away portion 13 and forming a continuation thereof is an inclined slot 14, which is narrower than the cut-away portion and Yinclines from the outer wall of the portion 11 toward the center of the auger. The upper edge 11a of the hollow portion is inwardly rounded to fit the rounded lower edge 7 of stationary portion 3. A perforated ear 15 projects upwardly from the edge 11 and is in alinement with the trnnnions 6. 16 indicates the threads of the members 9 and 10, and when placed side by side they register-and form a continuation of vthe threads 17 of the porti'onf Two threads are shown on the portion 4, whic rminate in a cutting edge 18, while but a singl thread isshown on the portion 3. This, ho \ever, may be varied.

The operating-stem is an important element in this invention, and it will now be described in detail. The lower part of the stem is slotted, as at 20, forming two'4 legs 2l 2l, connected at their extremev lower end by a rounded connecting-bar 22, theedges 23 of the legs 21 opposite the bar 22 being widened 'out to form overhanging ianges 24. Each leg widens out, as indicated at 25, to provide overhanging flanges 26 to 4engage the lugs 8 l to prevent kthe stem from turning in'thestationary portion 3. It will beobserved that the flanges 26 are disposed on opposite sides of the center of the stem and are continuation of the legs 2l, this being for the purpose of allowing the members 9 and 10 torock freely on their .hinges to avoid interlocking of the parts. A shoulder 28 on the stem limits its upward movement against a collar 29,

threaded in the upper end of the portion 3. ThisV insures the movement of the members 9v and 10 being limited and prevents the con-v necting-bar 22 becoming disengaged from the slots 14. A hand-nut 30 engages the upper .threaded end of the stem to rock the members .()Vand 10 on their hinges. When ,the parts are assembled, the stem is guided by the lugs 8 and is thus prevented from rotating, the flanges 26 fitting under the edges of the fiat surfaces 12, adjacent the cut-out portions 13, while the connecting-bar 22 engages the in- IOO 'clined slots 14. Vhen the members 9 and 10 are in their normal position, the slots 14- form a V, as shown in dotted lilies in Fig. 1, the connecting-bar 22 engaging them at the apex, so that any movement imparted to the stem will cause the bar 22 to ride in saidslots 14 and rock the members 9 and 10.

In operation the auger is driven to work in any well-known manner, and after it has been driven in the required depth and just before stopping its inward feed and it is found desirable to enlarge the diameter of the bore within the surface the hand-nut 30 is turned gradually, and as the stem cannot revolve it follows that said stem will be drawn up within the auger. Such movement causes the bar to impinge the walls of the slots 14 in the members 9 and 10, which spreads the latter outwardly, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. This action, of course, turns the members on their hinges, a smooth joint between the members and the stationary portion 3 being maintained by rounding the edges '7 and 11, forming somewhat of a ball-joint, and thus making the interior of the bore of conical formation.

The stem is limited in its movement by the shoulder 29, which is placed relative to the sleeve, so that its movement will just be equal to the length of the slots 14, and the members 9 and 10 are prevented from becoming displaced from their hinge connections by the iauges 24 of the legs 21 21 engaging the' edges of the slots 14 and the Ilanges 26 engaging the underside of the surfaces 12.

In forming a straight hole the members 9 and 10 are held in alinement and braced against each other by one of the edges of the surface 12 engaging the terminal of the thread of the companion member, as indicated at 31.

Our invention, it is thought, will be fully understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art to which it appertains. While it is primarily designed for use in drilling holes where blasting is to be done-for instance, in rock-drilling or coal-mining-its use is not at all limited to this field of usefulness, and itis equally valuable in other classes of work.

We are aware it is old in the art to provide an expansible auger, and do not claim such broadly; but, believing it to be new with us to hinge two members of an auger to rock on each other and being operated by a reciprocated stem,

What we claim as new isl. An expansible auger comprising a stationary portion, a movable portion composed oftwo independently-hinged members adapted to work on and against each otherin opposite directions, and means for rocking the hinged members, substantially as described.

2. An expansible auger comprising a stationary portion, a movable portion composed of two independently-hinged members adapted to work on and against each other, a slot being formed in each member, said slots being inclined in opposite directions with respect to each other, and a stem engaging the slots, said stem adapted to be rcciprocated to rock the members on their hinges toincrease the diameter of the auger, substantially as described.

3. An expansible auger comprising a stationary portion, a movable portion composed of two independently-hinged members adapted to work on and against each other in opposite directions, means for rocking the hinged members to increase the diameter of the aumembers to tlie stationary portion, substantially as described.

5. An expansible auger comprising a stationary portion which is rounded at its lowest edge, a movable portion composed of two independently-hinged members adapted to work on and against each other, the upper edges of the members being internally rounded to receive and it the rounded edge ofthe stationary portion, and a stem for rocking the members on their hinges in opposite directions, substantially as described.

6. An expansible auger comprising a stationary portion which is hollow, lugs within the stationary portion, a movable portion composed of two members hinged to the stationary portion, a stem, said stem being prevented from rotating by the lugs, means on the members which is engaged by the stem for rocking the members on their hinges, and means for actuating the stem, substantially as described.

'7. An expansible auger comprising a stationary portion, a movable portion composed of two members which are hollow, each having anges and being hinged to the stationary portion, and a reciprocating stem having flanges which coact with the anges on the members, said stem also engaging the members to rock them on their hinges, substantially as described.

S. An expausible auger comprising a stationary portion, a movable portion composed of two members which are hollow and have slots inclining in opposite directions, and means for fastening the stationary portion, the movable portion and the stem together, said stem having a bar which engages the slots to oppositely rock the members when the stem is reciprocated, substantially as described. f

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9. An expansible auger comprising a stal with the thread of the stationary portion, and tionary portion, a movable portion composed means for rocking,r the members to engage the of two members which are hinged to the stamovable end of the auger, substantially as 15 tionary portion, said members having slots, described. 5 and means coacting with the slots f or rock- I In testimony whereoi` we have signed our in g the members in opposite directions, snbnames to this specification in presence of two stantially as described. witnesses.

10. An eXpansible anger comprising a. sta- WILLIAM I. WHEELER.

ro able portion having a double thread and composed of two hinged members, one of the threads of the movable portion registering Witnesses:

CHARLES A. BARNES, LENA C. ENGEL.

tionary portion having a spiral thread, a movi JOHN J. BULL. 

